tourists watching the sunset from bakheng hill, cambodia

the highest elevation among the temple groups around angkor wat, this was the best place to watch the sunset


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sunrise in angkor wat, cambodia

woke up extra early for this and it was truly beautiful, unfortunately there were scaffoldings (photoshopped out of this photo) so i didn't bother to do proper photos of it.


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this is charles doing his best robert mitchum impression

he also did an impression of smoking marlene dietrich and bette davis, but let's stick to this one.

we spent the whole day walking about so we decided to do an evening dip in the pool.  prince d'angkor hotel in siem reap, cambodia.  the staff are sooooo nice (well, the cambodians in general) and helpful.


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rice fields in siem reap, cambodia, devastated by flooding

this is the rice fields near siem reap in cambodia that should've been a blanket of vibrant green this time of the year but is instead submerged in flood water.

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afternoon drinks

rene, ogie, benj, and josen (l-r) decided to come over for afternoon drinks at the rooftop of my apartment after we had dim sum in wanchai. the half-frozen dark bottle is hendricks.

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more flowers

awwwwwww! another bunch. i hope i don't get used to this.


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panoramic photo of halong bay

just another photo of beautiful halong bay, vietnam. you can click to see the full size of the image (you'll also probably have to maximize your browser window to see the entire image). can't remember how many shots i stitched to get this panoramic view, but it was all automated in photoshop, so no biggie.


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scene from a cafe serving dog meat in hanoi, vietnam

i almost got robbed in hanoi. while walking around the lake near the historic district, a guy touted a cardboard sheet with some photos printed on it, offering something i didn't care to know. red flag! a cardboard with print, a newspaper, a menu, a petition list, or a photo being shoved in your face for attention is (almost) always a decoy. while you're struggling to see what's printed so you can vehemently say no, the guy's other hand is probably very busy picking your pocket already. if you're sitting in a cafe with your stuff on the table and someone shoves something on your face offering something, you can be sure that the guy's (or girl's) other hand is already swiping your things from the table. it bears repeating: anything being shoved in your face to grab your attention is ALWAYS a diversion so a thief can take your stuff. anyway, i saw the sign so i politely said no and walked on - but this one's pretty persistent. at one point, where there was a bigger crowd, he blocked my way so that i can't walk forward, still showing me his pictures. this was, i assumed right, step two. while he blocked my way, someone he works with was already busy trying to unzip my backpack. as i was aware of the play, i instantly noticed the guy behind me at work, yanked my bag, and walked away. at this point the guy with pictures walked even faster so he's still ahead of me, the other guy who was opening my bag ran a few meters ahead. when i saw that they haven't let go, i yelled and warned everyone to be careful because the guy's a pickpocket. at this point the thief closer to me stopped walking, so i just looked him in the eye and walked past. the other thief also stopped, stood with his back on the crowd, like he was looking at something from a distant, feigning innocence. when i walked passed him i felt the energy - conscious control of excitement, unnatural stillness.

so anyway, why let such an encounter ruin your trip, right?  the photo above has nothing to do with the failed robbery - other than that it was taken in hanoi on the same night.  this is supposed to be a popular cafe - on the menu, among other things, are grilled or boiled dog meat.  i read somewhere that dogs can smell whether or not you've eaten dog meat before.  is this true? if you know for sure and have an explanation for it, please drop me a line.


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p.s.
i forgot to mention that the above warning isn't just for hanoi - it's for any city when you're travelling.  i remember once while in fisherman's wharf in san francisco (a tourist trap if there ever is one), amongst the thick crowd a youngish couple suddenly had a yelling row and a very public breakup.  only the whole thing was so fake and staged (they really should've taken acting lessons) - everybody's attention turned to them for a couple of minutes.  i wanted to yell "beware of pickpockets" but i was afraid there might be one near me holding a knife (they sometimes do, tho not usually)

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halong bay, vietnam

wow. i really should travel more - halong bay is (relatively) close to hong kong and yet it took me all this time to visit.  so beautiful and peaceful and relaxing.

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yim tin tsai island, hong kong

these are photos from yim tin tsai island in hong kong, a ghost town about 15-minutes boat ride from sai kung town in hong kong.

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charles and dog

© Joselito Briones

charles, a good friend from way back, visiting from new york.  crazy about them dogs.

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you can do anything but lay off of my...

as if wearing a pair of blue suede shoes isn't enough, am also wearing cord pants in burgundy.  hmn.

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alteration shop

Photo:  Joselito Briones

this here is the alteration shop where i bring my trousers for length alteration.  it's on the same street where i live, on a narrow alley.



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oh and look!

awwwwwww.... and chocolates too!


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look!

somebody gave me flowers. hihi.

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frank sinatra had a cold and i am now a gay talese fan

image from esquire

came across this brilliant piece of writing from gay talese from the mid 60's in esquire. now if only they could make this a movie with sting as frank sinatra.

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absolut hannibal

Photo: Joselito Briones

more random gallery shop window. this one's in 3d - those chopped up parts of the mannequin are sticking out of the canvas.


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free outdoor dining space at IFC

Photo:  Joselito Briones

one of hong kong's well-kept secret:  free outdoor dining space at IFC.  unobstructed view of kowloon island.  clean space under tree shade.  it's open to the public, bring your own lunch (i usually buy from city super). use the lift near city super, and go to rooftop of the podium (P4).  the rooftop is actually a small park so you can just hang around, or take photos.


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dim sum @ treasure lake seafood restaurant

Photo:  Joselito Briones

i think the restaurant itself occupies 3 floors, but the dimsum place is on the second floor.  anyway, this is the dim sum place in my neighborhood where you'll find me most sundays at about noon.   neighborhood is actually not the right word to use, as it is in the city center and there's nothing neighborhoody about it. anyway this is right around the block where i live.

if you're ever in the area and you go to this restaurant, you must try the yam cake in XO sauce, dumplings with sharksfin soup (for the price that they charge, i doubt if it's really shark's fin, but it's delicious anyway) and egg yolk custard bun. this is a very basic no-frills dim sum restaurant but the food is good and the staff is friendly.


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fairy

Photo:  Joselito Briones

this one's from yet another gallery in hollywood road. so far the kitsch-iest one among them.

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pop portraits

Photo:  Joselito Briones

yet another random gallery window showcase.


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halloween costume shopping in hong kong

Photo: Joselito Briones

the place to buy halloween costumes here in hong kong is a stairs/alley connecting lyndhurst terrace and wellington street to stanley street, a block from where i live.


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window showcase

Photo:  Joselito Briones

just been walking around and taking photos of window displays, mostly of galleries in the area where i live.  this one's in hollywood road.  can't even remember the names of the shops nor the artists, and often think it unwise that they display these artworks exposed in full daylight.  maybe they're just unaware of what it could do to the artwork.


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legalize gay cupcakes!

© Joselito Briones

cute, no?  can't remember the name of the cupcake shop i bought it from, tho.


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didier restaurant and cassoulet

© Joselito Briones

the chef of a restaurant i've been to several times made cassoulet especially for me (it's not in the menu).  isn't that nice?  was sooooooo good.  butter beans, duck leg, sausage, and lamb shank in one pot.  supper yummy.

i had lunch there the other day because the weather in hong kong was so gorgeous and i just had to go to a restaurant with outdoor seating and this is very close to where i work and so i had provencal sausages and mash and chef didier came over and told me how he also makes cassoulet with all the goodies including the same sausage so i asked him when he's gonna make cassoulet and he said anytime so i said can he make it the following night and he said sure so i said great so i came back the following night and can you believe it he actually made it and he explained how complicated it is to make it and the diners on the next table were soooo jealous because as i said it wasn't in the menu and finally i ate it and it was EXCELLENT! ha ha!

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family portraits

© Joselito Briones

i realized i've posted this album just about everywhere but i haven't shared it with you. pictures from family reunion

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